Chilean firetree

Description

Embothrium coccineum, commonly known as the Chilean firetree, Chilean firebush, notro, or ciruelillo in Spanish, is a small evergreen tree in the flowering plant family Proteaceae. It grows in the temperate forests of Chile and Argentina. The Chilean firetree grows 4–15 m (13–50 ft) tall and can reach 50 cm (20 in) in diameter. The bark is dark grey with light spots and the wood is light pink in colour. It produces clusters of deep red flowers (occasionally pale yellow) and flowering occurs in spring. The fruit is a dry follicle, with about 10 seeds inside.It is grown as an ornamental in Great Britain and the United States, and as far north as the Faroe Islands at 62° North latitude. The plant was introduced to Europe by William Lobb during his plant collecting expedition to the Valdivian temperate rain forests in 1845–1848.